


A Misunderstanding of Love

by N1t3sh4d3



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, I love that alternate for Kidge, Illnesses, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Kidge - Freeform, Miscommunication, Mistaken for Royalty, Misunderstandings, Pidge | Katie Holt is a Mess, Poisoning, Sharing a Bed, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Space Politics, TechnoBlade, Undercover Missions, VLD Tropes Fest 2018, bad attempts at flirting, flirtyrobot, plance, probably the first in a series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-16 19:34:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16960206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1t3sh4d3/pseuds/N1t3sh4d3
Summary: The mission was supposed to be simple. When was that ever the case though? Now everything is a mess and Keith isn’t sure if he’s just DONE or ready to give up. He could have gone without the poisoning, being mistaken for married royalty and having his girlfriend walk into the entire disaster at the worst possible time. The part that makes him miserable? His teammate is bearing the brunt of everything as well.





	A Misunderstanding of Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is my submission for the [VLD Tropes Fest](https://vldtropesfest.tumblr.com/). I decided to mix a bunch of tropes together and this will probably be the first in a series. 
> 
> The tropes I used were: 
> 
> Fake/Pretend Relationship  
> Hurt/Comfort  
> Illness  
> Space Politics/Diplomatic Mission  
> Undercover Mission  
> Bedsharing  
> Poison  
> Misunderstandings
> 
> Thank you to my Betas: [KDX](kdxart.tumblr.com), Invisible Light and [Orpheus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphicwaltz/works)
> 
> A huge thank you to my friends on Discord. The brainstorming you helped me with was invaluable!!

The mission had given Keith a bad feeling from the start and he knew it was going to go sideways.

He and Pidge were undercover, visiting a major research company that was believed to be working with the Galra. Pidge got caught up talking about the different possibilities of a new weapon. After a few doboshes, Keith began to get uncomfortable. It was becoming apparent they were picking Pidge's brain for ways to actually _create_ a weapon, not just hypothesizing - and he wasn't sure how to get out of this situation. Luckily, their hosts invited them to join them for dinner a few moments later.

As they made their way to the dining area, he leaned over to warn her of his concerns. She chuckled a little, and whispered back, “Yeah, I had already noticed that. We need to figure out how to handle this and how we’re going to get the information to Allura.”

Keith frowned at the idea but nodded.

Pidge grinned at him, bumping his shoulder, “You know, this is so much easier with you along instead of Lance. He would have been hanging all over me at this point. At least now I can concentrate on getting information and not having to explain everything."

Keith laughed and whispered. “Or risk him getting jealous. I saw how dazzled that junior scientist was with you!” he smiled at her chuckle, “I’m glad you’re along too. Romelle is great, but she doesn’t have the eye for science like you do. We’d both end up asking ridiculous questions and giving everything away.”

Pidge sighed, “I know they were both upset about not being able to come, but it’s probably for the best. The things we do for a mission.”

When they got to dinner they were seated at opposite ends of the table. Keith was a bit confused until he noticed that the other men were at his end and the women were at the other end with Pidge. Keith was seated next to their host Cragzan, the director of the science division. Pidge had been talking with several ladies at the other end of the table. Pidge merely smiled at him and shrugged a bit when she noticed his raised eyebrows.  
  
"Ah, your wife is very brilliant. She has been a great boon to our research. You must join us for our annual gala, tomorrow night! There are several people that would enjoy meeting both of you.”

The booming voice of their host startled him for a moment. Before Keith could say anything the man turned and waved several people over. A small crowd gathered to talk enthusiastically with them until the food was brought out. Keith attempted to get some more information but Cragzan waved his questions away and piled food on his plate.

“Now is not the time for business! Relax, enjoy and eat! We will talk after. Please, try one of these.”

Keith just nodded and began to eat, smiling at the thought of Hunk’s face if he could see this feast. He wondered briefly how many things Hunk could recreate if he could explain them right. He began to watch Pidge as she appeared to effortlessly talk with the women at her end. Hopefully, she was having better luck than he was. Dinner ended after an amazing dessert and they were rushed off to a room as their host claimed there was an emergency.

 

They both stared in shock at the one bed in the huge, ornate room.

Pidge blinked in confusion. “What the hell? There’s gotta be some mistake.”

“Oh, no…”

“What?”

“The director. He, um, well...He may think we’re married?”

“WHAT!”

“Shhh. Look it was during dinner. He made a comment about how brilliant my wife was. I didn’t get a chance to correct him because that crowd came over. I have no idea where he got the idea from.”

Pidge ran a hand over her face and sighed. “This is going to be a mess. So what do we do now? We have to stay until the gala tomorrow.”

Keith quickly scanned the room, but there was nothing else that could be used as a bed. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“What? No! That’s silly. The bed is enormous! We could share.”

He looked at her in surprise as she flushed bright red and realized what she said.

“I mean....not... like, in a weird way! Just, um… like a sleepover! No big deal! I can sleep on top of the covers. Or I can sleep at the foot of the bed!”  

After he stared at her for a moment, he gave a short laugh. “Yeah, Romelle and Lance will be _thrilled_ about this one.”

Pidge winced. He was right though. She and Keith were going to have to explain things to them as soon as they could. They would understand, right? It was just a mission. They had dealt with weirder situations before.

They got ready for bed and he insisted that she sleep under the covers. She argued until they compromised on her under the sheets and him under the comforter. At some point during the night, they ended up tangled together, sleeping better than either had in a while.

The next day Keith woke up feeling like his stomach was trying to twist itself out of his body. He tried to sit up but sagged back onto the bed and jostled Pidge awake. She took one look at his face and paled.

“Stay here.”

“Whaaa?”

“Just stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Keith fought back severe nausea as her weight shifted off the bed and closed his eyes. He hadn’t realized he had drifted back to sleep until he heard Pidge’s angry but urgent voice. He didn’t really know what was going on, so he focused on her. She sat next to him and helped him drink a cupful of something that tasted like strawberry lemonade. His eyes drifted shut again, but Pidge shook him lightly, her voice serious.

“I know you’re tired, but I need to know something. Did you have any of those dark purple  cakes last night?”

He blinked slowly. Had he? His mind was sluggish as he tried to rifle through his memories. “No?? I had some of the orange sherbert stuff. That was really good. Do you think Hunk could make it?”

She gave him a tight smile, “I’m sure he could. Go ahead and get some sleep. I’ll wake you in a little while.”

When she woke him up, it seemed like only a few minutes later. He grumbled, trying to focus on at least one of her. She just sighed and helped him sit up. “Drink this.”

“Uhhhh...wwwhhhhyyyy?”

“Because you’re delirious and this will make it better.”

He huffed a laugh at her serious expression, “You’re a good wife.”

Pidge spluttered at that. “Drink this, you idiot.”

Keith gulped it down. _This one tastes like cherry soda_ he thought as he fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes again it was warmer in the room and bright light streamed in through the window. He kicked the covers off and sat up, noticing his head was a great deal clearer. As he stood up, he stumbled against the bed, legs still wobbly. Pidge dashed in when she heard him crash into the bed.

“What are you doing up? You should still be in bed!”

He waved her away, “I just have to go to the bathroom. I’m feeling better. What the hell happened?”

Pidge squinted at him thoughtfully. “You don’t remember?”

“Would I be asking if I did?”

She smirked a bit at that, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Then I guess I don’t need to tell you.”

“Pidge!”

Suddenly her face got incredibly serious, “You were accidentally poisoned. It was meant for Cragzan but they served it to you instead. The chef caught the culprit. That's what the emergency was last night. Cragzan was fine but when you woke up this morning, your face had green streaks all over it. The doctor gave you a temporary antidote, but we had to interrogate the culprit. He finally told us what was used and we were able to give you the full antidote. I've been keeping an eye on you because I don't really trust these people anymore. I tried to contact the Castle but the interference here is so bad, I'm not sure what got through. We really should try to make the gala, to show the people that orchestrated it how ineffective it was, but I understand if you're not up to it."  
  
He nodded, "Let me clean up, walk around a bit and I'll see how I feel."

After a hot shower and some food, which Pidge had prepared herself, Keith was feeling fantastic. They began to get ready, hoping this time they could actually get some information on these people's involvement with the Galra.  
  
Pidge came out of the bathroom in a long gown and looked embarrassed at his astonished face. "What? I know I look ridiculous! Allura insisted I take this along. I have no idea how she knew I'd need it. You're lucky. You can go in your... wait, where's your armor?" She stopped suddenly and stared. He was in a black suit with burgundy threaded throughout, which fit him perfectly.  
  
Keith smiled at her rambling. "Cragzan came in while you were making dinner and apologized for the inconvenience. He's really concerned about backlash and upset that someone even attempted to poison him. He realized he sprung the gala on us at the last minute and figured I would need something. His tailor left just a little while ago. I feel ridiculous."  
  
They both jumped a bit at the knock on the door. A servant came in and bowed, letting them know it was time for the gala. Keith held out his arm for Pidge and they both took a deep breath. This was going to be interesting.

They arrived a few minutes later to a grand ballroom and looked over the high balcony. It was already somewhat crowded with people in a range of outfits. There were a few obvious dignitaries, which gave them pause.  
  
"Do any of these people look familiar? We can't afford to have our cover blown." Pidge muttered to Keith.  
  
He scanned the room and shook his head, "No. It doesn't look like anyone I've seen. What about you?"  
  
She shook her head. "I'll need to be careful though. After that mess of a show Coran put on, I have no idea who may recognize me."  
  
Keith glanced at her thoughtfully, "What about some more makeup and a different hairstyle?"  
  
Pidge started to glare, then nodded. "Where would I get help with hair and makeup at this point?"  
  
Suddenly one of the ladies from last night appeared. "Ah, there you are my dear! I was looking for you. I came to see if you needed anything to prepare. That gown is divine. What were you going to do for your makeup?"  
  
Pidge smiled sweetly, "Oh, madame! It's wonderful to see you. I was just trying to figure that out. I seem to have forgotten my makeup kit."

The women's eyes shone with happiness, "Will you allow me to assist you? It's been so long since I've done it for someone else. My daughter is far too old for a mother's help now. "  
  
Pidge nodded, "Of course!" The woman smiled and began to walk away. Pidge turned to Keith and at his look of concern, she said softly, "I'll be back in a little while and meet you here. That's the director's wife, so I should be fine. I'll scan everything before I use it, just to be sure. We need to enter together, so why don't you see if you can get in touch with the Castle one more time? They should be closer now."  
  
Keith nodded and watched her walk away. He headed to the outdoor garden and tried to reach the Castle. Pidge was right, the reception on this planet was terrible. Sighing, he began to wander around, keeping an eye open for her. Suddenly he heard the unmistakable voice of Cragzan and a Galra. Keith stopped behind a tree to listen carefully, then sighed in relief. The Galra he was talking with was Thace. They were comparing information on the weapon that Pidge had been talking about. It sounded like Cragzan suspected them of working with the Galra. He resisted the urge to show himself and straighten everything out. He caught a flash of Pidge’s dress and headed back inside. He would have to talk with Thace later.  
  
He paused near the top of the balcony and spotted Pidge. Her deep green dress had been adjusted and now fit her like a glove, rather than the slightly too big version from earlier. The makeup and hair made her look much more feminine. Her amber eyes, now darkened, glittered with mirth as she walked over.

“Pick your jaw up off the floor, it's just me. Do I look that different?” she batted her lashes at him.

He cleared his throat, “I.. I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s a very good disguise. We, uh, should probably head down. I need to talk to you, but this is too open.”

She took his arm as they walked down the stairs. An unexpected fanfare met them and Pidge squeezed his arm. This was it. Their cover was blown. Keith searched the room for escape routes. How could they get past all these people? It was really crowded at this point and there were too many in the way for a clean exit. Their armor and bags were stashed in the room. Would they be able to get to it? Maybe if he could find Thace they could -

**“Her Majesty, Princess Aeslun of Eioneus and her consort, Lord Diri of Hemithea.”**

They froze for half a second. What in the hell was going on? They continued down the stairs to the floor and tried not to stiffen as everyone bowed to them.

“Let us all congratulate the newlyweds and allow them the honor of the first dance!” Cragzan smiled and the band began to play.

Keith and Pidge stood rooted to the spot.

“Come now! Don’t be shy! We would be honored if you would begin the festivities.” Cragzan’s encouragement was met with a round of applause from the crowd.

Keith saw Pidge begin to curtsy, so he gave a stiff bow. He led Pidge to the dance floor, struggling to remember what he had seen in the old movies about ballroom dancing. He knew his one arm was supposed to hold her waist and the other was supposed to hold her hand.

Pidge squeezed his hand and said softly “Follow my lead.” She took a few steps in a slow circle, twirling a little and pulled him a closer, all while murmuring directions in his ear. After a few rounds on the dance floor, Keith was feeling confident.

Now that he didn’t have to concentrate on his steps, it was his turn to whisper to her, as they spun slowly around the floor. “I saw Cragzan talking to Thace in the gardens. Cragzan thinks we’re working with Glara. I wasn’t able to talk to Thace.”

She grinned up at him. “I would love to see his face after that introduction!”

“Why do they think we’re this royalty? What should we do if they show up?” Keith breathed into her ear.

“Well, no one really asked who we were after we said we were here to see the center. Perhaps they were expecting them? We’ll need to get out of here as soon as we can.” Pidge whispered back.

They managed to do some sort of waltz and as the song ended, the crowd seemed to love it. Soon there was a crush of people talking to them.

_“Where else are you planning to spend your honeymoon?”_

_“Are you planning on having children right away, or are you waiting to establish your careers a bit?"_

_“Where do you plan to make your home?”_

_“Do you have any relatives that are available?”_

_“Oh Vomnaill, don’t be rude! I’m so sorry for them!”_

_“Where did you learn that dance? I’ve never seen anything like it!”_

_“Will your first born be in line for the throne of Eioneus or Hemithea?”_

Pidge and Keith were overwhelmed at the attention and barrage of questions. Keith caught Cragzan’s eye and squeezed Pidge’s hand.

“Ah, we have to go thank our host for his generosity. Excuse us.” She smiled regally at the crowd and they headed over to him.

There was another reverberating fanfare as two more figures descended the stairs. Keith and Pidge froze as **“Princess Romelle of Arus and Lord Bandor”** were announced. They looked up to see Romelle and Lance serenely moving through the crowd. Detouring, Pidge dragged Keith over to them.

“You’re here! We couldn’t reach you and -”

“Ah, Princess Aeslun! I see you are familiar with our new guests? I have not had the pleasure of their company yet.” Cragzan’s voice boomed, as he and his wife approached.

Pidge paused, then smiled. “Of course. Princess Romelle is an old family friend. I had no idea you would be able to make this gala!”

“How wonderful! It is not often we get so many illustrious visitors. We are thrilled that you and Lord Diri chose this as a stop on your honeymoon tour.” Cragza gushed.

Lance and Romelle’s faces creased in confusion for a moment before smoothing out, anger burning in their eyes. “Why Aeslun! You didn’t tell me this would be a stop on your _honeymoon_ tour.”

Pidge and Keith swallowed, gritting their teeth. Pidge smiled thinly and Keith jumped in, “It was an unexpected detour. When she heard how much wonderful research was going on, we just had to stop. You know how she gets about science.”

The music had begun again and Lance spoke up. He kept his gaze on Romelle as he asked, “My love, shall we dance?

Romelle, fluttered her eyes at him, “Oh darling! I thought you'd never ask!” 

Pidge went still as they walked out onto the floor and Keith tried to keep the annoyance off his face. Lance and Romelle danced closely together, throwing corny lines at each other.

After a particularly quick dip and spin Romelle gushed, “Sweetheart, you have left me breathless!”

Lance chuckled and spun Romelle into his arms, “Only because your beauty made me that way first!” Romelle pretended to swoon as the chatter increased around them.

  _“Oh, they are so adorable!”_

_“Ah, young love!”_

_“They are perfect together!”_

_“What a beautiful couple.”_

 Crazon’s wife stared at him for a moment then huffed, “Why don't you talk to me like that anymore?”

Keith could feel the anger and hurt radiating off of Pidge. He took her hand and lead her out to dance again, hoping to distract her. After a moment of debate, he took a deep breath, knowing no one was going to let him live this down, and said:  “How... uh... pretty you look in this lighting, dear.”

Pidge looked at him sharply, then replied, “Thank you, um, honeybee?”

Lance and Romelle chose that moment to spin closer to them. Both of their faces etched with hurt. They spun away before anything could be said. Pidge sagged against Keith and he held her a bit closer.

“I know this is a disaster. You predicted it would be. We’ll be able to explain everything to them once this is over. We have to keep this up just a bit longer.” Keith whispered into her hair. He smiled a little and added playfully, “I know, we should kiss.”

Pidge’s response was to squeeze him a bit and laugh. “What?”

Continuing to smile into her hair, he tried to suppress a laugh, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s a terrible idea.”

She started to look up but stopped dead. He looked around to see what else could possibly be going on and hurt settled firmly into his chest. On the other side of the room, Lance and Romelle were kissing.

The next thing he knew, Pidge was snuggled up against him, her lips are firmly pressed against his. His eyes widened as his heart stuttered at the surprise and butterflies seem to inhabit his stomach for the moment. Before he can react too much, he saw Lance and Romelle turn slightly and realized they were only fake kissing. It was the angle that made it look so convincing. He tried to break the kiss, but they saw. He pulled away slowly and rested his forehead on Pidge’s.

“Don’t freak out, but they just saw that.”

“Good. Serves them right.”

“No, you don’t understand. They _weren’t_ kissing. It was the angle.”

The color drained from Pidge’s face as she looked over to see Lance regarding her coldly. Romelle has a similar expression directed at Keith.

“We need to get this mission over with and see if we can salvage anything after.” Keith tried to sound firm, but the hurt on Romelle’s face is burned into his mind. He felt Pidge nod, then inhale sharply. He spun her slowly around so he could see. Thace was standing in the shadowed part of the room watching. Keith made a show of pulling Pidge over to the refreshment table. She scanned the drinks and handed him one. Lance and Romelle joined them, still cold, but curious.

“Oh, you _must_ try this Romelle. It’s just like strawberries.” Pidge handed Romelle a drink and added, “Belladonna likes those. I know how you hate sweet things, Bandor. Try this one instead!” as Lance tried to reach for one. He gulped, nodded and took the drink Pidge handed him. Keith watched as Thace moved into the alcove closest to them.

 Lance noticed and said, “Let’s get out of the others way, while we catch up, Diri. It’s been far too long!”

Keith leaned against the column as they start to speak quietly.

“What the HELL was that about Pidge?” Lance hissed.

Keith cut anything else off with a curt, “Look, everyone here thinks we’re all happy couples for whatever reason. We need to keep the charade up for now. It seems like Cragzan is the one that suspects _we’re_ the ones working with the Galra. How he got the idea that Pidge and I were royalty, I don’t know.”

Thace spoke quietly as Romelle and Lance faked a laugh and snuggled closer. Pidge attempted to laugh as well, but it came out flat. “Cragzan’s been working with us to pass information along from the Galra. He’s been giving them less than optimal products and is afraid they have figured it out. He assumed you were here to spy on him. The poisoning attempt _was_ directed at him. You were an unintended target. The culprit was a Galra spy and has been dealt with. Cragzan’s spreading the word that you are royalty to help explain the poisoning. It’s looking like an attempt at an alien throne and none of the rest of the dignitaries business. I realized who you were when you met at the staircase to enter. I’ve spoken to him and he wants to meet after the gala to hear more about the Coalition.”

Keith nodded and spared a glance at the others. Romelle looked shocked and mouthed _Poisoned?_ at him.

Lance nodded curtly, sparing a hard look at Pidge. “Fine. The sooner this is over the better. There’s a great deal we need to talk about.”  Lance lead Romelle back to the dance floor and they began to gazing lovingly at each other, as they danced away.

Pidge turned to face him, wiping tears away.

“I hate this mission.”

He nodded slowly as he hugged her.


End file.
